Out of the Dark
by GrimM Bbliss
Summary: Dawn had a problem.  Dawn was on the run.  But she ran too far.  Now she's stuck in a foreign country and a foreign time, with a man she'd thought she'd never meet.  Can she make a new life with the future weighing her down?  Or will she crumble?
1. Out of the Dark

**Okay, I know it's been a long time since I've posted a new story. I've been having some trouble with school, and registration for high school is here, so life is hectic. I hope to get the next chapter of all my stories up soon. Oh, and before I forget, I am in no way owner of Kuroshitsuji or any characters except Dawn Michaelis.**

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I was running. Running farther and faster than I ever had. I didn't know or care where I was going, I just had to get away. I had to get away from the horrible things that were happening. I ran until I felt like my lungs were going to explode, then kept running.

I ran until I felt like I was going to throw up, and finally I collapsed. My clothes were torn and I was bleeding, but I didn't care. My limbs were trembling and I was drenched in sweat. Tears mixed with the sweat running down my face. I didn't care where or when I was, because I knew they couldn't get me here. Even though I was all alone in unfamiliar territory, I was safer than I had been with people I had known all my life.

I started shivering. It was colder here, and I was in a ripped up pair of jeans and T-shirt. I curled up and wrapped my arms around my legs. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep lying under the foreign trees. My last thought as I balanced on the cusp of sleep was that I may not wake up. There wasn't much I could do about it as I tumbled over the summit into slumber.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

"Is she dead, Sebastian?" There was a young, cold voice speaking over me. I didn't move. There was something in that voice that chilled me to the bone.

"No, young master. She's merely sleeping." The new voice, Sebastian I assumed, was just as outwardly cold as the first. This one, however was just crisply professional, while the first one was an iceberg, cold inside and out. "Perhaps we should take her back to the mansion. She's injured."

He bent down and picked me up. My arms flopped uselessly to my sides. I couldn't even lift my head. I tried opening my eyes, but they stayed firmly shut. I didn't like being so far up without any control of my body, but since I couldn't even make a sound, I was at the mercy of these people.

So I guess running that much was bad for me, because this inability to move was new. I felt shadows pass over my face, and I assumed we were at the mansion. He set me down on something, but I arched my back in pain. I'd almost forgotten about the cuts and bruises on my back. Several curses flew out of my mouth, mostly in Japanese. I'd taken to swearing in Japanese so my mom wouldn't know what I was saying. The days where I had to care about that was all over, though.

Good to know my ability to move was back. I sat up and opened my eyes. I hurt all over, but I wanted to know where the hell I was. Standing over me was a handsome black-haired man with stark-white skin and a slightly disturbing smile, wearing a black suit. Behind him was a pale boy with grayish-blue hair and a blue eye. The other was covered by a plain black eye patch.

"Where am I? What year is it?" My voice was thin and reedy. The normally rich tone just sounded like a rock in a blender. I guess it's because I haven't had any water in three days. I coughed and rested my forehead on my knees. "I think I'm going to be sick."

I took deep breaths and tried to keep the bile down. The air hitting my shredded back made me nauseous. There was a commotion behind me. I turned my head around looked. There were three people standing behind me.

One was a tall man with blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, with goggles around his neck and a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth, wearing plain white chef's clothes. On one side of him was a boy with blonde hair pinned back from his face, with large green eyes, wearing a plain white shirt, plaid shorts, and a straw hat. On the other side of the tall man was a girl in a maid's outfit with reddish hair and huge cracked glasses that made it impossible to tell what colour her eyes were. They looked as if they were frozen in place, and the man's cigarette fell out of his mouth. Just then, I felt my fingers catch fire. They did this from time to time, seemingly random.

"Kuso!" I stuck them in my mouth to cool them off. "I hate when that happens." I wrapped my arms around me. "So do I not warrant an answer? Where am I and what year is it? I have a feeling I went back really far." I put my head back on my knees.

"You are on the Phantomhive Manor in London. The year is 1888." I smiled. There was no way the people I'd run away from would ever find me.

"That's more than a hundred years back! Perfect," I muttered under my breath. I looked at the man in black and blinked. For a second I thought his eyes had flickered red, but it must have been a trick of the light. He looked over to the boy.

"See that she is taken care of, Sebastian," the boy said. He began walking up a grand stairwell, then turned around about half way up. "And Bard, don't burn supper today." With that, he disappeared up the stairs and into a room.

"I think I'm going to be fine, if I could just sleep for a bit. I'm still so tired." I closed my eyes and curled up closer to myself. The man, Sebastian, rested a gloved hand on my shoulder.

"If you fall asleep now, you may not wake up, Miss." I yawned.

"I feel a bit light-headed. I'm usually not prone to fainting, but I–" Everything went kind of fuzzy around the edges, and the last thing I saw before everything became engulfed in darkness was that creepy smile.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

"Oh, I think she's waking up! Finni, go get Sebastian and Tanaka!" There were the sounds of footsteps, a door opening violently, then shutting with a shudder. I laid perfectly still and tried to forget the nightmare I'd been having. When I opened my eyes, the maid from earlier was there.

"I feel… Strange. How long have I been asleep?" I didn't want to move from the soft bedding. I felt like I'd explode if I moved at all.

"Three days, Miss. We were all worried, because you had so many cuts and scars." This girl seemed nervous and twitchy.

"My name's Dawn. What's yours?" She pushed the bridge of her glasses up her nose.

"Maylene, Miss."

Well, Maylene, I'd appreciate if you'd call me Dawn instead of Miss. It creeps me out." She nodded.

"There were many scars, Dawn," she said carefully. Her tone wasn't questioning, but it wasn't just stating. I sat up and rolled my shoulders. There was a lot of tightness across my back and arms.

"I don't want to talk about it." She just nodded again. "Can I have some water, though?" Maylene poured me a glass of water from a pitcher on a nightstand. I gulped it down greedily, and she refilled my cup. I drank that fast, too.

"Dawn, I'm supposed to help you dress so you can speak with Master Ciel. He bought some dresses for you. They're in the wardrobe if you'd care to choose one." She motioned to a huge standing closet on the opposite wall. I opened the doors.

"This wardrobe is bigger than my room at home!" It was bigger on the inside than it looked from outside, and it looked enormous from outside. Inside were lots of dresses and accessories. I picked out a dark blue dress with a lighter blue lace collar and hem and a deep purple sash. I'm glad Maylene was there to help, because there were about a hundred tiny buttons up the back.

We brushed out my long blackish-red hair and bulled it into two low pigtails at the base of my neck. There were even shoes the right size, which I slipped on. There was a knock at the door. Maylene stepped out, then came back in quickly.

"Master Ciel would like to speak with you in the study. I'll take you there." She walked briskly down a hallway and entered a room. After I stepped in, she slipped out and shut the door quickly behind her. I felt a little stranded, and Sebastian seemed to sense this. He pulled out a chair for me, and Ciel stood. I hesitated in front of my chair until Ciel sat down, then sat down myself. I stared at Ciel until he became uncomfortable and started speaking.

"I think we can just get right to the point. Tell me how you came to be on Phantomhive Manor?" While Ciel talked, Sebastian made tea.

"That depends on what kind of answer you want. Do you want to know how I managed to cross and ocean and 123 years, or do you want a reason. The reason is a long story." Ciel wore a mask of cold indifference.

"We have time. Give me a reason." I took a deep breath and started my story.

"When I was a little girl, my mother would tell me a story about a man and a woman, who fell in love despite the odds. The man had no parallel. He was charming and smart and beautiful. But this man did not just possess charisma. This man was more than human. He was faster and stronger than anyone the woman had ever seen. He could control fire." I conjured up a small ball of fire in the palm of my hand.

"The woman was my mother, and the man was my father. He passed some of these abilities on to me, along with some unique skills. But this man did not know he had fathered a child. My mother, not wanting to upset the man, didn't tell him. He left, without knowing of his unborn daughter. My mother didn't know about the powers I'd inherited until after I was born and the man was long since gone. She tried to help me the best she could, by moving to a small, safe town on the coast and teaching me how to control myself.

"Everything was fine, until my mother fell ill. We couldn't afford for her to be taken to a hospital, but our neighbor was the doctor. He took care of her until her death, when I was thirteen. When she passed, I was in school. They told me, and I lost control. My entire body burst into flames, and I started teleporting across the town.

"The town was thrown into chaos. They wanted me burned as a witch, even though such practices were outlawed long ago. The doctor who had been taking care of my mother, however, wanted to use me for experiments. He convinced the townspeople to let him chain me in his basement, and took samples of my skin, bones, and various organs. He starved me then left me in harsh conditions he simulated. And he set dogs on me." I was shaking so hard the chair's feet were bouncing off the floor.

There was a commotion downstairs. A pale man in a black suit with longish grey hair and red eyes bounded in on all fours. He stopped by my chair and rested his hands on the arms of the chair and started licking my face like a dog. Sebastian gave him a stern look and he whimpered. He got off me, but stayed close. I stroked his hair, like I was petting a dog. It calmed me, and I continued.

"That's what most of the bleeding cuts are from. I didn't want to hurt the dogs, so I let them hurt me until the doctor was satisfied. He was going to dissect me. When he undid my shackles, I made a run for it. But he grabbed me. I didn't mean to set him on fire, but I did. He burned, and so did his house. I stole some clothes and ran as far and fast as I could. I didn't care where I was going, as long as I never had to see those people again."

Ciel leaned forward in his chair. "Did your mother ever tell you the name of the man said to be your father?" I nodded.

"Yes. She used his last name as mine, as well. His name was Sebastian Michaelis."

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**Okay, people, tell me what you think! I can take it! (Maybe)**


	2. Fighting the Dark

**Thanks to mistofan for being my first reviewer for this story! I look forward to your future comments. Also, thanks to** **NarutoFallenAngel123 and Shell. .2434 for adding **_**Out of the Dark**_** (previously **_**I Am) **_**to their fav's list! This is the quickest response to a story I've gotten so far. (Is that pathetic?) **

**Okay, as I've mentioned in the previous chapter, I am in no way owner of Kuroshitsuji or any characters except Dawn Michaelis. **

**That's about it for now, so I'm going to get on with the story!**

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I stole stealthily to the side door. I'd found my old clothes and patched the back of the shirt up a bit. I was now wearing these, carrying a small knapsack of non-perishable food I'd 'borrowed' from the kitchen. I looked around and saw no one. Sprinting from the door to the shrubs, I again checked to make sure no one had seen me.

I didn't want to be here. It's not that I wasn't super excited to meet my father, but I didn't belong. I was awkward and clumsy and terrible at adjusting to new things. I was going to everyone miserable. I couldn't stand making people who had so far only done me great kindnesses suffer.

I darted from the shrubs to the wall that enclosed the garden. When I went to hop over the wall, however, something yanked me back. I tried it again, with the same result. Something was keeping me on the Manor, and I didn't like this at all. I tried transporting myself over, but I just got slammed back. I paced that stupid wall, trying to find some way to cross it until a very amused Sebastian found me at dawn.

I frantically clawed at the invisible barrier, but it wouldn't let me through. I hated to admit it, but I was a little scared of him. I know he made up half of my DNA, but he was _really _creepy. I tried running along the wall away from him, but he appeared in front of me. I ran the other way, but he was there, too. Finally, I just gave up and sat down.

"Looks like you're stuck with me," I said, downcast.

"We are not 'stuck with you', as you think. We are very glad you are here." His face stayed cold and impersonal. "Why don't you come back inside? It's almost time for breakfast."

"Was the barrier something you did? Or is that something with me?" I made no move to go in the house.

"Well, I didn't do anything, so it must be you." He started to walk away, and I reluctantly followed. My leg collapsed from underneath me. There was a pretty big gash on it from my imprisonment, and I guess pacing all night had weakened it. Sebastian turned around and picked me up without a word.

I hated being carried. It was a sign of weakness, and I hated being weak. I took a deep breath so I wouldn't start yelling and kicking. I really didn't want to seem immature, but I did _not _like being carried.

"Put me down, Sebastian." I clenched my jaw to limit what I was saying. "Please." I took a deep breath again, and bit the inside of my mouth to keep from saying anything rude or insulting. _Put me down, Sebastian. Now. _Sebastian's forehead scrunched up, then he looked down at me.

"Are you trying to use mind control on me? That only works with humans and weaker demons, Little One. Your power is weaker than mine, because you're only half-demon." I ground my teeth.

"Can you just put me down?" Sebastian looked straight ahead.

"You're still injured." I sighed.

"Injured, not crippled." I sat up and transported out of his arms with a_ pop._ When I touched down, I was on the roof. "Damn, I overshot the landing a bit." I jumped off the roof, flipped, and landed in a crouch, then jumped back up. "See, just fine." I made sure to lock my knees so I didn't fall over.

Sebastian smiled and nodded slightly. Maybe I was cracking that freakish shell of his. I walked by myself, albeit a bit stiff, mansion. The air smelled heavily of something burning, and smoke was billowing out the door of the kitchen. I ran into the kitchen to find Bard, the tall blonde chef, wielding a flamethrower, and a ball of fire on the counter, which I assumed was supposed to be breakfast.

Covering my face with the edge of my shirt, I looked around for baking soda. Whenever Mom had caught something on fire in the kitchen at home, she'd throw baking soda on it, and it usually went out. When I found the soda, I ripped the box open and scattered it over the flames. The fire went down some, but not completely out. I took a deep breath and stared at the flame, concentrating on stealing all the energy. The flame went out.

"What's up with your eyes?" Bard was looking at me funny.

"You tell me! I can't really see them right now!" I was pissed off at him for catching whatever that was on fire. Who the hell cooks with a flamethrower? I glowered at him, almost tempted to catch him on fire. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and shuddered back into my normal state of mind. I wasn't a violent person, but after I used my powers, it was like I wasn't me. My powers turned me into someone without any morals or sense of right or wrong; it made me someone who enjoyed pain.

Sebastian looked at me. He looked like he couldn't tell if I was all there. I turned and ran away, out the door, and transported to a small space I had seen earlier. It looked like someone had just forgotten to put some bricks in a wall. It looked big enough for me and someone else to squeeze into, but it was almost completely behind a turret, so no one could find me unless they knew exactly where to look.

I curled my knees up to my face, and let the tears come. That other person scared me. She was cold and didn't care for life, her own (which meant mine), or anybody else's. I tried to use my powers as little as possible, because I was afraid that she'd do something I'd regret when I came back. I never wanted to be out of control like that.

There was a noise below me. That blonde kid with the hat was trying to climb up to where I was. I scooted farther back into the gap. I don't know how he had seen me from on the ground, but it looked like he was determined to come up. I wiped my eyes and straightened my shirt, right before his huge green eyes peeked over the edge.

"You're going to break your neck if you slip, Finnian." I looked at him, willing him to go away.

"But not if you let me in, Dawn." He was already putting his arms in and pulling himself up.

"Yeah, but what are you going to do if I, say, do this?" I stuck my legs out in the open space. The space wasn't big enough for me to stick them all the way out, and they stayed bent at the knees, which meant he couldn't crawl in.

"Beg? I really don't want to fall." He made his eyes even bigger than they were naturally. "Please? Pretty please?" I tried not to smile. Instead, I rolled my eyes and smirked.

"Come on up, Finni." I moved over to one side, and he squirmed his way in. It was a tight squeeze, and the entire side of our body was pressed together. "So, what do you want? If you're going to tell me to go back into the house or whatever you can leave, because I plan on it, I just had to calm down some."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I saw you running out, and you looked pretty upset." Finni looked at me with those big green eyes, and I saw the question in them.

"I can do things, like this." I lit a ball of fire in my hand and tossed it back and forth. "But when I use my powers, I get a little crazy. I'm not me, and it's scary. Do you ever feel like that?" I didn't know why I was telling him this. I had literally just met him yesterday. However, I felt safe with him, which was unusual for me.

"Yeah, I've felt like that." I leaned against his shoulder, and tried to keep my eyes from tearing up again. There was a small noise somewhere in front of me. Finni started to talk again, but I shushed him. I crawled out to the edge of the hole and looked up.

Standing on the very top of the turret was a black cat. It started crying pitifully as soon as it saw me. I stood up as much as I could and tried to reach the cat. It was just out of my grasp, and it refused to come closer, no matter how much I coaxed it. I stretched a bit farther out, but lost my balance. I threw a foot out to catch myself against the turret, but then I couldn't move.

"Um, Finni, I need your help! I'm stuck! Give me a boost!" He crawled to the edge of the hole.

"Wouldn't it be easier to pull you back in?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but I want to help this cat! Please, just give me a little help, or I'm going to try and do it myself, and fall and break my neck!" I started to push off, but Finni grabbed my foot.

"Fine. Okay, put your foot in my hands. I'll toss it straight out, and you'll need to wrap it around the turret, then climb up." I sighed.

"Or, you could toss it straight out, and I'll use the force to carry me all the way to the top, where I'll grab the cat and climb down. Come on, just push." I did it my way, and got up to the top of the turret, where the cat was screaming its head off. I grabbed it, then jumped from roof plane to roof plane, and finally to the ground. "Can you make it on your own, or do I need to come up and help you?"

Finni blushed a deep red. "No, I can do it myself!" He tried to jump where I had jumped, but his foot slipped. He started to fall, and I screamed his name. The way he was falling, he _would _break his neck. I don't know where I pulled that energy from, but I zapped into the air, grabbed him, then zapped back down to the ground.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I set him down. "You were going to break your neck if you hit the ground." He swayed and almost fell over, so I put his arm over my shoulders then held him by the waist. He leaned heavily on me. "Yeah, that's how I felt the first time I zapped. Take deep breaths and we'll go see if Bard can get you some tea."

"What happened to Finni?" Bard was standing at the counter, flamethrower in hand, when I half-dragged Finni in the door. I grabbed the flamethrower and leaned it against the wall.

"He fell off the roof while he was looking for me." I didn't mention that I'd saved him. It was a habit to not tell anyone about my powers. After all, it was my powers that had gotten me into this mess. "Can you get him some tea? He's fine, just a bit shook up."

Bard moved around and made him a steaming cup of peppermint tea. I leaned Finni against the wall and then leaned against it myself. I felt a little dizzy. Zapping myself and another person was hard, especially doing it on the fly like that. I didn't have time to focus my power, so I had to refocus it after I was done.

"What were you two doing on the roof, anyway? That's not a safe place for kids," Bard lectured. I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a kid. In some countries, I'm old enough to be married and have my own kids." I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths. I was getting crazy again, and I didn't want to set anyone on fire. "I was up there because I saw a cat that couldn't get down, so I climbed up and got it. Finni climbed up, too, and fell off." The lie slipped off my tongue easily.

Bard shook his head slowly, like he wasn't convinced I was telling the truth, but he had no way to dispute it. I leaned forward, the scabs on my back starting to hurt from the contact with the stone. We sat in a comfortable silence until Bard looked over and saw my back through the holes in my shirt.

"What happened to your back, Dawn?" He looked really upset. I sat up quickly, like hiding them would stop the conversation. Finni looked upset, too.

"Um, that happened before I came here. I'd rather not talk about it." I stood up and quickly walked away. Running up the stairs, I tried to find my way to my room. I got lost; the building was huge, and there were a ton of doors. Finally, I just stopped moving. "Okay, Dawn, what the hell are you going to do now," I said to myself. "You're all alone in a strange house, and you're completely turned around."

The answer came immediately, and of course I hated it; I hated that the answer every time I asked myself what to do was "_Use your powers_!" But my subconscious had yet to be wrong, so I listened to it. I focused my energy and mind on finding my room. In a way, this was easier than zapping, and in a way was harder than zapping. For finding things, I had to think about what I wanted to find, and just what I wanted to find. If anything else entered my mind, the connection snapped and I had to start over.

I saw the steps to take from where I was standing. I kept walking, and walking. I was almost there, and… Finni called my name. I almost turned and slapped him, but stopped myself when I saw his face. He looked about two seconds away from tears. I instead opened my arms and hugged him.

"What's wrong, Finni?" I pulled him away from me so I could look in his eyes. They were red and puffy, and now tears were running down his cheeks. "What's wrong?" I rubbed his back a little to make him feel better.

"I'm sorry I messed up and let Bard see your back! It's a personal thing and if I hadn't fallen off the roof, then nothing would have happened!" He put his head back on my shoulder. I pulled him away again and looked into his eyes.

"Hey, it's okay! You didn't _make _me lean over, or go on the roof, or anything! It's not your fault, hon." I hugged him again. He was really warm and it felt natural to hug him. I rested my chin on the top of his head and hugged him closer. I was almost 6 inches taller than him, and it was a little weird to stand so close without moving. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah." Finni nodded and rubbed his eyes. "So, what are you doing today?"

"Probably nothing. What are you doing?" I leaned against the wall and looked at him. I had to get out of such close proximity or I'd end up screwing stuff up.

"Working in the gardens. I have to keep the weeds under control, because Master Ciel has a party planned this week. Is there anything I can do for you before I go get started?"

"Um, yeah. Can you show me where my room is? I forgot."

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**Moar reviews, plz?**


	3. Alone in Darkness

**Thanks to fluffy things r cute (I swear to God that's the person's penname, and I didn't just pull it out of my ass), Sebastiansotherhalf, and rainbow spring for adding **_**Out of the Dark **_**to your favorites! I love you guys! Lol, jk. But seriously, thanks.**

**Okay, as I said in the previous 2 chapters, I am in no way owner of Kuroshitsuji or any characters except Dawn Michaelis. **

**That's about it for now, so I'm going to get on with the story!**

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I sat on the stone wall that surrounded Phantomhive Manor, watching Finni pull the weeds out of the flowerbeds that lined the main entrance. The cat that we'd saved earlier had found me and was curled up in my lap. Pluto was around somewhere, trying not to let Sebastian see him in the front yard. I was sort of hiding from Sebastian, too. I have a feeling he wanted to talk more about what happened before I came here.

It was so peaceful and quiet, I could actually feel the tension in my back, shoulders, and legs dissolving. Finni didn't need to talk the whole time, and it was only us and the animals. I tipped my head back and let the sun hit my face.; I couldn't get enough of it. It had been almost a year and a half since I'd seen the sun, and while I had always been fair-skinned, I thrived on the light. I would have preferred not to be locked in the restricting fashions of this time, though.

I had on a light blue dress, with a huge dark blue bow around the waist. The skirt of the dress was huge, with ruffled layer upon ruffled layer of a light, white material that gave it a huge shape. I absolutely refused to wear a corset, shoes, stockings, a hat, or bloomers, and I kept my hair down. I would have preferred to wear pants and a shirt, but… well, it looked like if I wore fewer clothes than I was already, at least one of the guys was going to explode.

I laid back, facing Finni, one arm dangling off the wall. I watched how the sun reflected off his hair. The heat from the sun and working had given him a sheen of sweat that glimmered and made him look sparkly. I was savoring the moment when I felt something coming down the road. I would have fallen off the wall, except I couldn't cross it. As it was, I jumped up and almost fell into the flowerbed.

"Something's coming," I said ominously. I wasn't getting bad vibes off it, but that didn't mean it wasn't something bad; it just meant it wasn't a complete and total disaster. As a carriage rounded the corner, I felt a tingle go up my neck. I couldn't really identify what I felt, if it was good or bad. I felt a little woozy.

The carriage barreled past us, and I saw a man looking out the window. And then it was gone, up the drive and to the front of the house. Sebastian was on the steps, the courteous butler as usual. I froze, hoping no one would call to me or notice me at all.

Once Sebastian had ushered the man and his people in, he turned. He shot me a look that said he knew I was there but hoped the men who had arrived didn't. I blushed and sat back down. I tried to forget about the man in the carriage, but as I tipped my face back to catch some more sun, the blur of his face I had seen entered my mind.

"So," I started nonchalantly, "Who was that man? Sebastian acted like he knew him." I hoped Finni couldn't tell how interested I really was with the man.

"That was the Viscount of Druitt, Lord Aleister Chamber. Master Ciel doesn't like him much, but Sebastian insists that he's treated respectfully. He is a viscount, after all." Finni went back to weeding like the man's position explained it. "He'll be attending the party on Thursday. He's probably confirming some outrageous request he's made as to the entertainment or food or something."

"Okay. Do you want some help with the weeding?" I hopped off the wall and got down next to him. "So which ones are weeds and which ones are flowers?" I looked at the pile of greens that he'd pulled out already. I wrapped my fingers around one that looked similar to those, but didn't pull it out. "These?"

"No, that's a flower. This is a weed." He grabbed a plant that looked like the same thing to me. "See how the stems have little white hairs on it? The flowers don't. If you run your fingers lightly over the stems like this, you can feel them."

He took my hand and moved it along the weed. It tickled the tips of my fingers and I started to pull my hand away, but turned to look at Finni instead. He was really close to me. Our arms were touching. I felt a heat start in my chest, and started to panic. The last time I felt that, weird things started happening; things that were weird even to me.

"I have to go," I whispered, then bolted. I stepped on a rock, but kept running. I knew I was probably trailing blood behind me, but I didn't care. I ran into the house but made sure I didn't slam the door. I was running past the study to my room, when I heard Ciel talking to the viscount.

"That's outrageous, Chamber. How am I supposed to find a solo violinist in two days? If you wanted something special, then you should have told me sooner or found your own!" It sounded like Ciel was getting really pissed off. There was a rustle of clothing and the sound of Sebastian murmuring into Ciel's ear. I opened the door and stepped inside.

"I play violin." Everyone looked my way. "Quiet well, actually." Sebastian looked surprised, a look I'd yet to see on his face. "Is it astonishing that I may be good at something?" Ciel looked dubious that I could do anything, let alone something that would be of use to him. The viscount stood up and clapped his hands once.

"Well, let's hear you play!" He looked expectantly around, as if a violin would have magically appeared. I took a moment to look at him. He had piercing blue eyes and shaggy golden hair. His eyes were dark blue-grey and framed by the longest lashes I have ever seen on a man. He was wearing a well-tailored white suit, white gloves, an ascot, and a huge ruby brooch.

"Miss Dawn," Sebastian said, handing me a violin that seemed to have really appeared from nowhere. He was treating me like some noble come to visit, instead of some girl who showed up and couldn't leave. I was just fine with that, though. I took up the violin and began to play a soft, mournful song. It was one I had written in my head to keep myself to keep from going completely mad when I was being held for 'science'. When I finished, there was a moment of silence.

"Bravo!" The viscount shouted, jumping back up and clapping. "It's like a woman, awaiting her lover, who never shows. It brings forth such feelings of longing and sadness!" He was very dramatic, dabbing at his eyes with a blue silk handkerchief. "Who composed the piece?"

"I did." I would have started getting defensive about it, but he was just so sincere, even if he was extraordinarily theatrical. I just didn't want to say something stupid. I shifted my weight to my left leg, but quickly pulled it off the floor. "Orokana kusorokku!" I pulled the rock out and put it in my pocket. "Does anyone have something I can stop the bleeding with?"

The viscount looked like he was going to faint. Since I pulled the rock out, my foot was bleeding more than it had been when I first came in. Sebastian pulled out a little square of fabric and handed it to me. He shot me an annoyed look where the viscount couldn't see, and I knew he was a little pissed off at me. He was probably just mad because I was bleeding all over his floors.

"From whence do you hail, Miss Dawn?" asked the viscount. "You have strange ways, and I've never heard an accent like yours." I scrunched up my forehead, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't get me sent to the loony bin.

"Very far away," I said at last. This wasn't really a lie, because I was from a different country. I just didn't tell him that I was from a different time as well. "Very, very far away." I fiddled with the rock in my pocket. "If that's all, can I go now? I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting."

Ciel waved a hand, as if to shoo me away. That kid really rubbed me the wrong way. He thought he was better than everyone, and everyone else thought that, too. It took all I had not to go hit that brat, because he was just so stuck up. It was a major culture shock, going from everyone being equal to everyone being judged on their ancestry and wealth.

"Go on," said Ciel in that superior tone he had. I still wanted to hit him in the face, but I gritted my teeth and walked to the door. I could just feel his smirk, but kept walking. Instead of turning around and hitting him like I wanted to, I just growled loudly in the back of my throat. The viscount and Ciel jumped, but Sebastian just smiled. Glad I could do something right by him.

I limped to my room and into my private bathroom. I rinsed out the surprisingly large hole where the rock was. Tearing a washcloth into strips, I wrapped the strips around my foot. The fabric wasn't immediately soaked in blood, so I took that as a good sign. Testing it out a bit, I walked around, then ran out to the back yard to play with Pluto.

Pluto had actually managed to keep his suit on for more than five minutes today, and was sitting on the wall. He was smelling a rose he had picked from the bushes, and actually looked like a normal man. I ran over to him and sat down. He offered me the flower, and I took it, smelling it delicately. I smiled at him, and then jumped up.

"Why don't we go run or something, Pluto?" I grabbed him by the hands and started twirling. "Pluto, things are so different here than what I'm used to. You're such a good listener, although that's because no one expects you to talk back. What would they do if you learned English?"

I let go of Pluto's hands and we both fell back in the grass. He crawled over and laid right next to me. I was looking at the clouds, and Pluto was looking at me. Suddenly I felt something rough and wet touch my cheek. Pluto was licking my face! I sat up and scooted back.

"What're you doing? Why are you licking my face?" I made my voice hard and angry. Pluto crawled over to where I was on his belly and started licking my hand. I softened my voice. "Come on, you're ruining your suit. Sit up, and just don't do that again when I'm not expecting it."

I smiled and rocked up onto the balls of my feet. I crouched for a second, then took off running. I heard Pluto following me, on all fours. He tackled me from behind, but I flipped over so that I was on top of him. He tilted his head, showing me his neck in a sign of submission. For a supposedly vicious demon dog, he was very submissive. I bit him gently on the nose and got off.

"Let's go see what Bard is doing. Maybe he has a treat for you." Pluto heard the word "treat" and took off running for the house. "Pluto, wait!" I jogged after him, not feeling the need to actually catch up with him. He got to the side door and stopped, anyway. "Yeah, didn't think about the door, did you? What're you gonna do if I don't open it for you?"

Pluto jumped at the door and whined. That's a very compelling argument. I rolled my eyes and opened the door. I have a soft spot for guys that act like such ukes*. I guess it's my mothering nature. I petted Pluto on the head and peeked around the door.

"Is Sebastian in here, Bard?" Bard was slicing vegetables at the counter. He stopped and set the knife down.

"No, why?"

"Because I'm bringing Pluto in." I pushed Pluto in the door and slid in after him. " I know that Sebastian hates him in the house, but he's being good today. He's even wearing his suit, see?" I pulled Pluto's tie straight. "He could pass for human, if he wasn't sitting on the floor."

Pluto started licking my hands again. I frowned at him and pulled my hands back. He whined and laid down by my feet. I sat down in a small chair that was propped against the wall. Bard tossed Pluto a little piece of meat he had set apart from the rest, probably a treat he had been planning to take to him later.

"Hey, Bard, what's the party on Thursday for?"

"I'm not sure, but I do know that this is the first time that Master Ciel has hosted a party in this house. This isn't the original Phantomhive House. The first one burnt down a little more than three years ago. Master Ciel never hosts parties, but right before you showed up, he said we were going to." Bard shook his head. "Strange, all of it, but it's not my place to question."

"Why is everyone like that? I don't understand what's so important about place or class. Where I came from, everyone was the same. We learned the same things, and we all got along. Everything's just so weird here!" I took a deep breath and tried to calm down a little. I was getting loopy, and I knew it, but if I clamped down on it now I wouldn't go full-scale psycho.

"It's how the world is." Bard shrugged his shoulders and went back to cutting vegetables. "But where you're from sounds nice." Bard talked like he longed for a society like that. I shrugged my shoulders.

"My town was kind of isolated, and lots of old traditions that were taboo in other places were still around. For instance, the burning and/or torture of suspected witches." I pulled my knees up to my chest. "It was like everyone was two people. They were nice, caring people who would give their last dollar to a stranger in need, and then they were the people who could do such cruel things to me, a girl they'd known my whole life, just because my existence conflicted with their views of the world."

"I cannot believe that you could conflict with anyone, even if you tried. But my opinion doesn't matter because I'm just a -" I jumped up and put my hand over his on the knife.

"Don't you dare say you're just a servant, or working class, or whatever you were going to say. You're more than just your station in life, Bard. Trust me on this. There is going to come a day when you feel like you're nothing, or that you're unimportant; don't say you're not like that, it happens to everyone. Just know, when that day comes, that you are important to anyone who truly knows you, and you will _always _matter."

"Dawn Michaelis, you are not like other girls." Bard shook his head again, then went back to chopping vegetables.

"Well, Bard, that is the understatement of the century."

* * *

* **If you don't know what a uke is, then I suggest you Google it. And for future reference, Google is my answer for almost everything.**

**Review please? I'll love you forever and ever if you all write one review! And if not... Well, beware. I could take even longer to get the next chapter out.  
**


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